12 Best Party Speakers

What good is a party without some good jams? Unless you want your event to be a dud, you’re going to need some high-quality speakers to keep everyone entertained!

What party are you throwing by the way? Depending on how many people are coming you may need more powerful speakers than others. My search was done by keeping that in mind, thus I divided what I found into best party speakers for about 50 people, 100 people, and over 200 people.

The best party speakers on the market are fine-tuned to please the rowdiest of crowds. They can pump music across your entire venue, rocking every attendee to their core!

What Makes a Good Party Speaker?

There are several kinds of speakers on the market today. While they all serve the same purpose, some models just aren’t equipped to carry sound throughout your party venue. You can’t expect a small pair of computer speakers to get the room jumping!

When you’re searching for speakers, there’s a lot that you have to pay attention to. We’ll get into the specifics a bit later. But for now, let’s take a look at some of the ways party speakers are different from your standard bookshelf speaker.

Power and Volume

One of the things that set party speakers apart is their output capabilities. When you’re trying to please a large crowd, loud volumes are a must!

Speakers measure volume in decibel units, also referred to as dB. The higher the decibel rating the higher the perceived loudness of the speaker. Simple enough, right? Well, not exactly.

Most people assume that the best course of action is to choose a speaker with the highest power rating and volume output. While you can’t go wrong going big, there are many other factors to consider! First of all, you don’t need a major jump in the decibel level to make an impact.

For every 10 dB increase, the audio will sound about twice as loud. Thus, incremental increases have a big impact. Keep this in mind when choosing a speaker. The last thing you want to do is make the mistake of going with speakers that can produce far louder volumes than you really need.

Immediate hearing damage can start at 120 dB, so it’s not difficult to go overboard and put your party-goers in danger!

Another thing to think about is the distance of your listeners from the speakers. The sound pressure level decreases the farther away you get from the source. What does this mean for your party?

Well, it means that the partiers standing right next to the speakers are going to get the full effect of the speaker’s power output and volume. Meanwhile, partiers standing just five meters away will experience a volume drop of nearly 14 dB!

Speaker Sensitivity

Another thing that sets party speakers apart from home speakers is sensitivity levels. If you’ve ever taken a close look at a speaker’s specs sheet, you might have noticed sensitivity ratings. They’re usually look something like this: 85 dB/1w/1m

So, what exactly does that mean? When you break this rating down, it means that the speaker can produce 85 decibels of volume 1 meter away when supplied with 1 watt of power.

To put things simply, the sensitivity rating is meant to show you the relationship between the power input and the sound output.

The sensitivity rating example we just went over is pretty standard for a home speaker. But, it won’t do for party scenarios. Is like having a pair some cheap portable speakers in your home studio instead of some powerful studio monitor speakers.

This is because it would take far more power to reach acceptable dB ratings! To achieve an increase of only 3 decibels, you have to double the wattage.

So, let’s say that we pump 2 watts of power into the speaker from the example. The volume would then be 88 dB. If we doubled the wattage again to 4 watts, the volume would be 91 dB.

91 dB might seem like a lot, but if you have a large party in a large venue, it won’t cut it. To put things into perspective around 90 dB is equivalent to heavy traffic or a noisy restaurant.

Generally, party speakers have a higher sensitivity rating. This makes it easier to get solid sound by using less power! A high sensitivity rating of 92 dB or more is preferred no matter how big your party is.

Rugged Design

It doesn’t matter if you’re at a party for young 20-somethings or toddlers, having tough speakers is paramount! Most party speakers these days are built out of tough materials that can withstand some wear and tear.

Chances are, your speakers are going to be exposed to a lot of potential hazards. If you’re outside, you could be dealing with rain or moisture. Even inside, people could knock your speakers over dancing. Even setting a simple drink on top of the speaker enclosure could cause some damage!

For this reason, party speakers are often made of rugged materials at every corner. This includes tough molded plastic, metal frames, and reinforced corners. It’s a stark contrast to speakers you find in homes. Wood and flimsy plastic just won’t hold up!

Versatility

For the most part, party speakers are built with versatility in mind. Unlike standard home speakers, these units usually come with a ton of extra options so that you can have complete control of how you use them.

For example, most are easily connected to external gear. Thus, you can increase power input with an amplifier. Or, you can connect multiple speakers to create a line array or stereo image. The choice is yours!

Plus, the flexible nature of party speakers is great for larger events. Connect a microphone to start an impromptu karaoke show or use it to get your crowd pumped!

Aesthetics

Last, but not least, we have looks! While it’s not always the case, many party speakers have some cool aesthetic features to liven the party a bit. LED lights are pretty common. They usually sound sensitive and change based on the music you’re listening to.

Cool aesthetic features like that are great if you’re limited in terms of space and budget. Why buy separate lights when you can just prop your speakers up?

The Best Bluetooth Party Speakers Reviewed

These days, the market is flooded with speakers. To help you make a choice that you can be confident with, we’ve rounded up a collection of some of the best party speakers.

1. Sony HC-V21 (Best Bluetooth for +/- 50 People)

• Capacity: Indoor with light outdoor use
• Battery life: No built-in battery
• Weight: 18 lbs
• Watts: 30

Pros:

• Can connect up to 50 speakers
• Built-in CD player, USB, and Bluetooth
• Several input and control options
• Decent sound quality

Cons:

• CD tray is sensitive to vibrations
• Not the loudest option

This speaker from Sony is designed for casual indoor parties. It’s built to be your entire source of entertainment. With built-in party lights and a slew of input options, you don’t need additional gear! There are even a couple of microphone ports to sing along with the music or make announcements.

While this is a single speaker, it is compatible with chain setups. You can connect up to 50 compatible speakers at once to ensure that your entire venue is covered. Thanks to the quick and easy setup process, you’ll be jamming out in no time!

2. Sony MHC-V71 (Best Powerful for +/- 50 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and outdoor use
• Battery life: No built-in battery
• Weight: 48.5 lbs
• Watts: 120

Pros:

• Several input options
• 360-degree lights
• Light weather protection
• Can get very loud
• Built-in caster wheels

Cons:

• Weighs nearly 50 pounds

Here’s a beefier option from Sony. Tipping the scales at nearly 50 pounds, this is a speaker that can pump out some serious power. It has a maximum power rating of 120 watts! Thus, it can get loud enough to use outdoors.

The sound quality is respectable. It has a good frequency range and the bass is crisp enough for fast dance, electronic, or hip hop tunes.

Like the previous model, this speaker has a lot of flexible options. There’s a built-in CD player, FM, tuner, and plenty of wireless connectivity options. There are also several LED lights. Turn them on to create a 360-degree light show!

3. Sony XB72 (Best Extra Bass for +/- 50 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and light outdoor use
• Battery life: No built-in battery
• Weight: 48.5 lbs
• Watts: 27

Pros:

• Crisp bass response
• Built-in lights
• Flexible connection options
• Easy to set up
• Sleek design

Cons:

• Wireless connectivity can be confusing

Need powerful bass to kick your party up a notch? The XC72 speaker from Sony has you covered. Sony engineered this speaker to provide tight and responsive bass.

It sounds fantastic with bass-heavy songs. Of course, the highs and mids aren’t neglected. Overall, the sound quality is quite good for a single-speaker setup.

Like some of Sony’s other speakers, this can be paired with other models. It’s compatible with chain arrangements.

No matter how you set it up, you have plenty of ways to enjoy your music. This speaker can connect to multiple Bluetooth devices at once, allowing you to share music controls with your partygoers.

4. JBL Boombox (Best Portable for +/- 50 People)

• Capacity: Outdoor use
• Battery life: About 24 hours of playtime
• Weight: 11.57 lbs
• Watts: 60 total

Pros:

• IPX7 waterproof rating
• Acts as a power bank
• Impressive bass
• Rugged build
• Can get very loud

Cons:

• Bulky design

JBL is no stranger to producing portable speakers. This particular model was designed with outdoor pool parties in mind. We’re happy to say that it doesn’t disappoint!

The sound quality is great. There are four active transducers and two bass radiators. This helps to produce crystal-clear sound at truly stunning volumes.

Best of all, it’s waterproof! Set it by the pool to jam out while you soak in the sun! Thanks to the 20,000 mAH battery, you can enjoy your music for up to 24 hours.

5. Turtlebox (Best Outdoor for +/- 50 People)

• Capacity: Outdoor use
• Battery life: About 50 hours of playtime
• Weight: 8 lbs
• Watts: 50

Pros:

• Solid construction
• Pre-engineered for outdoor performance
• Can be paired for a studio setup
• Up to 120 dB of volume

Cons:

• Bass isn’t strong

Don’t let the simple design of this speaker fool you. It’s a tough piece of equipment that can withstand a lot of wear and tear. It’s waterproof, dustproof, and impact resistant. Carry it with you to any outdoor venue and rest easy knowing that your investment will not get harmed.

The best thing about this speaker is that it’s specifically engineered for outdoor parties. It has a distinct frequency curve. This curve is meant to cut through wind noise and minimize deterioration of quality as the sound travels. Thus, it sounds great no matter what.

6. W-KING (Best Waterproof for +/- 50 People)

• Capacity: Outdoor use
• Battery life: About 24 hours of playtime
• Weight: 6 lbs
• Watts: 70 total

Pros:

• Ultra-portable design
• Acts as a battery bank
• Uses two full-range drivers
• Solid bass response

Cons:

• Takes a long time to charge

This W-King speaker is surprisingly good for its size. While most portable speakers tend to suffer in terms of sound quality, this one doesn’t disappoint. That’s because it contains two full-range drivers.

You’re also getting passive subwoofers and two anti-distortion tweeters. These components combine to provide you with a very respectable sound no matter where you go.

Of course, the biggest draw of this speaker is its portability. It has an 8,000 mAH battery. This provides up to 24 hours of playtime. You can also plug in your devices and use them as a portable power bank.

7. SOUNDBOKS 2 (Best Outdoor for +/- 100 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and outdoor use
• Battery life: Up to 40 hours of playtime
• Weight: 34 lbs
• Watts: 216 total

Pros:

• Simple setup process
• Durable build
• Designed for outdoor performance
• Can Be used to create an array of five speakers
• Produces up to 126 dB of sound

The Soundboks 2 is one of the best party speakers on the market! Not only does it produce great sound, but it’s built to work in a ton of different environments.

It’s very durable and features a water and dust-resistant design. Soft corners and a metal enclosure work to protect the electronics, so you can take them anywhere.

There’s also a powerful battery. A single fully charged battery can provide up to 40 hours of playtime. However, you can swap out the battery if you have an extra for even more time.

8. Sony GTKXB90 (Best Extra Bass for +/- 100 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and light outdoor use
• Battery life: Up to 16 hours of playtime
• Weight: 30.86 lbs
• Watts: 180

Pros:

• Optional bass features
• Customizable audio settings
• Ready for chain setup
• Multiple wireless options
• Built-in lights show

Cons:

• The large and heavy design

Sony has done it again with the GTKXB90! This speaker is perfect for larger parties. It’s a larger speaker with a bit more power under the hood. In total, it can produce up to 180 watts!

When it comes to sound quality, this speaker is solid. It has three built-in tweeters and two woofers. The thing that sets this speaker apart from others is the extra bass. With a press of a button, you can pump up the bass response to create some booming sound.

9. JBL PartyBox 100 (Best Bluetooth for +/- 100 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and light outdoor use
• Battery life: Up to 12 hours of playtime
• Weight: 21.4 lbs
• Watts: 160

Pros:

• Dual tweeters and woofers
• Mic and guitar inputs
• Good sound projection
• Ready for stereo pairing

Cons:

• Battery life is on the lower end

The PartyBox 100 from JBL is more than capable of helping you and your guests rock out! This is a portable speaker that you can use indoors or in good outdoor conditions. Despite its portable design, the sound quality of this speaker is respectable.

It’s sporting a pair of tweezers and a pair of woofers. This setup helps to project the sound further while giving you plenty of volumes to work with!

10. Aiwa Exos-9 (Best Subwoofer for +/- 100 People)

• Capacity: Indoor use
• Battery life: Up to 9 hours of playtime
• Weight: 13 lbs
• Watts: 200

Pros:

• Uses five drivers
• 6.5-inch subwoofer
• Onboard graphic equalizer
• Strong bass response

Cons:

• Battery doesn’t last as long as other models

Give your party guests bass that they can feel! This Aiwa speaker has a 6.5-inch dual-coil subwoofer. It’s an impressive addition for a speaker that weighs less than 15 pounds! The subwoofer improves the bass response significantly, bringing your music to life.

The Aiwa speaker doesn’t just handle the bass frequencies well. It’s equipped with two midrange tweeters and two high-end tweeters. You have a stereo image straight from the box. So, there’s no need to connect additional speakers.

11. PRORECK Club 3000 (Best Outdoor for +200 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and outdoor use
• Battery life: Not battery-powered
• Weight: 121 lbs
• Watts: 3,000 total

Pros:

• Line array
• Fantastic projection
• Flexible EQ and input controls
• Multiple instruments and source inputs

Cons:

• Weak bass

With these PRORECK speakers, you can fill up a huge venue with sound. This isn’t a single speaker or a small stereo setup. It has eight speakers in total!

Four speakers are used to create a line array for each side of the studio image. Thanks to adjustable telescoping poles, you can raise that line array up above the crowd for perfect projection.

These speakers are modeled after the setup you see in professional venues. But, it’s much simpler. You can control all of the settings from the back rather than using third-party gear.

12. PRORECK Party 12 (Best Outdoor for +200 People)

• Capacity: Indoor and outdoor use
• Battery life: Not battery-powered
• Weight: About 64 lbs
• Watts: 1,000 total

Pros:

• Built-in amplification system
• Versatile inputs and sound controls
• Can get very loud
• Includes stand
• Decent bass response

Cons:

• Prone to connectivity issues

Here’s another option from PRORECK. These speakers aren’t as powerful as the previous model, but they’re still a fantastic choice for larger parties.

Everything you need to start playing music is built right in. There’s a multifunction amplifier, stands to project sound across the venue, and connection cables to create your studio image.

Overall, the sound is pretty good. The bass is punchy and the speakers are capable of getting very loud. Thanks to all of your input options, it’s great for everything from DJing to live shows!

How to Choose Good Party Speakers

Choosing the right speakers is about more than just getting the loudest box possible. Sound has a lot of nuances. Every detail matters about your event matters. From the venue location to the number of people attending, here are some things to consider.

How Many Partiers?

First things first, how many partiers are attending your event? There are some guidelines on how much power you need to DJ large events.

But parties are a totally different ballgame. There are no hard and fast rules about speaker power and party size. If you have some good turntable speakers they possibly do the job for a little event.

That said, there are some obvious differences between a small party and a rager! With an intimate group of partygoers, you can get away with using a small portable Bluetooth speaker. But once you start adding people, your needs are going to change dramatically.

With more people comes more ears to please! Not only that, but you have to start contending with room chatter and other noises. As a good rule of thumb, speakers should be loud enough to cut through chatter but not loud enough to make it impossible for people to speak to one another.

For a party of around 50 people, you’ll need speakers that can pump out between 40 and 200 watts of power. If you have around 100 people attending, expect to double that wattage!

Where is the Party?

The next thing to think about is the location of your party. Is it inside a contained venue or are you having an outdoor block party? Sound behaves much differently when you’re inside.

Whether you’re partying in a huge venue or a smaller club-like setting, you’re going to have to deal with reflections. Sound travels at about 1130 feet per second. From the moment audio leaves the speakers, it’s going to bounce around the room rapidly.

Depending on the arrangement of the furniture and the materials of the walls, it could bounce back and force several times before it finally dissipates.

With walls confining the noise, it has nowhere else to go! Thus, speakers tend to sound far louder inside than they do outside.

When you’re blasting music in the great outdoors, there’s nothing to stop it. That’s why you can hear stadium shows and massive concerts from great distances. Even if the sound bounces off an obstacle, it’ll make its way outside of the party and continue traveling.

The only thing you’ll have to deal with is the Inverse Square Law. Without getting into too much detail, this law covers how sound dissipates in an open space.

Doubling the distance from the speaker causes the relative loudness to decrease by about 6 decibels. So, keep that in mind if you want your music to flood the entire outdoor venue.

As a general rule of thumb, your speakers should be much louder and more powerful when you’re outside. If the party is indoors, you can cut back a bit and get great results with a less-powerful speaker.

How Much Power Do You Need?

For More or Less 50 People

• Indoor parties: 40 to 120 watts
• Outdoor parties: 80 to 200 watts

For More or Less 150 People

• Indoor parties: 200 to 400 watts
• Outdoor parties: 300 to 600 watts

Keep in mind that there is no exact science behind choosing the appropriate power ratings for your party speakers. At the end of the day, everything is relative! Some may prefer to get more powerful speakers while others want to keep things a bit softer.

That said, we do have some basic guidelines you can follow. These guidelines are based on the number of people you’re entertaining and where your party is located.

Important Specs of Party Speakers

Beyond power ratings, there are a few things to consider when choosing party speakers for your next bash. Here are some of the most important specs to pay attention to.

Deep & Powerful Bass

The bass is going to be the heart and soul of the party! In music, the bass frequencies include everything from the kick drum to the bass guitar. It’s what makes your music feel alive.

Everything below 250 Hz is considered to be in the bass frequency range. Before you choose a speaker, make sure that it can handle those lower frequencies!

A high-quality woofer is a must. If necessary, you might also want to connect with a subwoofer.

The interesting thing about bass tones is that not everyone can hear them. Super-low tones are usually inaudible. After all, humans have a limited range of hearing that only goes as low as 20 Hz.

While not everyone can hear those tones, everyone can surely feel them. Solid punchy bass in your speaker will ensure that every partygoer is ready to start moving to beat.

Portability

Chances are, you don’t have a permanent party venue. Thus, choosing portable speakers is always a good idea. Consider the speaker’s weight and any portability-focused features. For example, many larger speakers have wheels or handy carrying handles.

Sound Quality

Sound quality isn’t really something that can be measured. It’s purely subjective. That said, you can use your knowledge of audio to get a better idea of what to expect.

Check out a speaker’s frequency range. The wider the band, the better your music is going to sound. You should also pay attention to issues like harmonic distortion.

The goal is to replicate the music as best as possible. There are already so many audio issues at a party to contend with. The better the sound quality coming out of the speakers, the better it will sound for your partiers.

Bluetooth Connectivity

Unless you want to go through a complicated setup, choose speakers with Bluetooth connectivity. This wireless standard lets you stream music from virtually any device. Bluetooth is widely adopted, so it opens up your possible music sources.

Battery Life

Lastly, there’s battery life. Not all speakers are going to be completely wireless. But for those that are, consider how long the battery lasts. The last thing you want is to cut your party short because of a lack of power!

Speakers are power hogs, so make sure that you check those playtime ratings. Some of the best speakers on the market can provide days of continual playback with no issue.

It’s Party Time!

The right speakers can make or break your next party. People want to let loose, have fun, and dance to the music! With the best party speakers, you can throw a rager that your guests won’t forget anytime soon!

Out of all of our recommended picks, the Soundboks 2 speakers are the clear winner here. First of all, they can produce up to 216 watts of sound. That’s far more power than the options from established brands like JBL and Sony.

Beyond sound quality, the Soundboks 2 speaker has more versatility than every other model. They’re portable, built tough, and ready for anything. With swappable batteries, microphone and instrument inputs, and tons of connectivity, you can’t go wrong!

These speakers may not have all the flashing lights or waterproof design as some other portable speakers, but they certainly outshine all other options in areas that matter most.

Don’t take our word for it. Pick up the speaker for your next party and hear how great it is for yourself!